Heather du Plessis-Allan: It's time for a hard crackdown on bad dog owners

I am of the view that it is time for authorities to start cracking down really hard on bad dog owners. 

When I was on maternity leave, apart from trying to ignore Donald Trump, I was trying very hard not to read too much news because I was just trying to get away from work a little bit. 

But there was one story that I saw pop up on the Herald that I actually had to click on. That was the news report about that Katikati dog attack a few weeks ago. That was where the three dogs killed the four year old boy, and all three of those dogs were unregistered. 

I clicked on that news report because, frankly, dog maulings freak me out at the moment in a way that they never have because it's too close to home. I'm constantly trying to keep my 3 year old boy away from dogs that look like they're grumpy, including just yesterday at our local park because they're everywhere now. 

I've certainly noticed because I've started to see a pattern here that we've had a spate of more maulings in the last couple of years. We very clearly have a massive dog issue on our hands. 

Not only dogs that are mauling, but dogs that are roaming, and dogs that are unregistered. 

And I am not seeing a corresponding urgency from authorities to deal with this particular issue. 

We've had the announcement today that the government's going to crack down on owners that tether their dogs too long, but I still feel like it's a bit wet bus ticketey, isn't it? 

What's the punishment for them if they tether their dogs too long? Oh, a fine. Just a fine. 

And at what level do they get cracked down on? Well, quite clear dog abuse is what it takes to get a crackdown. 

It is like the worst extremes of what you would see with dogs that cop a fine. I don't think that's good enough. 

Sure, at the local government level, you've got councils like Auckland Council, currently having a crackdown on unregistered dog owners and warning them that they're on their absolute last legs and they've got to register their dogs. 

But the punishment for failing to do so after repeated warnings remains pretty lame. It's a fine, or it's going to court. They get to keep the dog. 

I would not be that lenient if I was in charge of the situation. I would just be turning up and saying you had 28 days to register your dog, you didn't register your dog, the dog's coming with me, and I put the dog down. It's as simple as that. 

Because as the council says there is a link between unregistered dogs and dogs that end up roaming and dogs that attack people. I think we are well past the point where we need to get tough on these dogs. 

Sure, the dog owner's not going to be stoked about it. They're not going to be happy. They've got a dead dog. But that's a better outcome, I would say, than having a dead kid, don't you think? 

My patience with these dogs ran out a long time ago and these owners in particular. I, for one, want to see a hard crackdown. 

I don't know how many more incidents like the one in Katikati we have to have before we start taking this problem with our dogs seriously. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Listen to tell you what I am off of you,
that it is time for authorities to start cracking down
real hard, like really hard on bad dog owners. When
I was on maternity leave, apart from trying to ignore
Donald Trump, I was trying very hard not to read
too much news because I was just trying to get
away from work a little bit. But there was one
story that I saw pop up on the Herald, a
news alert that I actually had to click on, and

(00:20):
I did, and that was the news report about that
Cutzy cutty dog attack about three weeks ago where the
three dogs killed the four year old boy and all
three of those dogs were unregistered. Now, I clicked on
that news report because frankly, dog moulings freak me out
at the moment in a way that they never have
because it's too close to home. Because I'm constantly trying

(00:40):
to keep my three year old boy away from dogs
that look like that grumpy including this morning at our
local park, because they're everywhere. Now. I don't know if
you've noticed, I've certainly noticed, because I've started to see
a pattern here that we've had a space of moulings
in the last couple of years, and we very clearly
have a massive dog issue on our hands, not only
dogs that are mouling, but dogs that are roaming, dogs

(01:02):
that are unregistered. It just feels like it's kind of
exploded a wee bit and I am not seeing a
corresponding urgency from authorities to deal with this particular issue. Now. Absolutely,
we've had the announcement today that the government's going to
crack down on owners that teether their dogs too long,
but I still feel like it's a bit wet wet bustikety,
isn't it. What's the punishment for them if they teether

(01:22):
their dogs too long? Oh a fine, just a fine?
And at what level do they get cracked down on? Well?
Quite clear, dog abuse is what it takes to get
a cracked down. You know. It is like the worst
extremes of what you would see with dogs that copper fine.
I don't think that's good enough. And sure, you know
at the local government levy you've got councils like Auckland

(01:42):
Council currently having a crackdown on the unregistered dog owners
and warning them that they are on their absolute last
legs and they've got to register their dogs. But the
punishment for failing to do so after repeated warnings remains
pretty lame. It's a fine or it's going to court.
They get to keep the dog. Not be that lenient.
If I was in charge of the situation, I would

(02:03):
just be turning up and saying, yeah, twenty eight days
to register your dog. You didn't register your dog. Dogs
coming with me and I put the dog down, simple
as that, Because, as the council says, there is a
link between unregistered dogs and dogs that end up roaming,
roaming and dogs that attack people. And I think we
are well past the point where we need to get
tough on these dogs. Sure the dog owner is not
going to be stoked about it. They're not going to

(02:24):
be happy they've got a dead dog. But that's a
better outcome, I would say, than having a dead kid.
Don't you think My patients with these dogs ran out
a long time ago, and these owners in particular, and
I for one, want to see a hard crack down
coming because frankly, I don't know how many more incidents
like the one in Kutti Cutti we have to have
before we start taking this problem with our dogs seriously.

(02:44):
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